To ski or not to ski - Manc to Glenshee

A snowHead

Trying to decide whether to take the kids (5and 7) to Glenshee to ski for the weekend.
Conditions and weather forecast look good.
One kid is slightly not 100% well.
It's 300 miles away
Would cost around £320 quid for diesel, skis and passes.

I'm thinking Glenshee is the best option for skiing with young kids due to the multitude of easier runs. Is this true?

I won't be doing any 'exciting' style skiing clearly as I'll be with the kids

Someone give me some motivation.

If I do go, does anyone know the best place to park up the campervan to sleep tonight? Somewhere between Perth and Glenshee I guess. Last time we parked in the Glenshee car cark and got woken heinously early as they started organising for the days punters

motivate me

A snowHead

Do it, do it, do it!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

As long as the "not terribly well" kid doesn't get worse, and if both kids are well up for it, I'd give it a go. It's the sort of adventure the kids will remember when they're old.

Can the kids ski already?

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TheGeneralist, a couple of yeas ago we took the caravan up to glenshee and it took longer than expected. We didn;t stay overnight, but we did stop for sandwiches at a small car park just ouside Rattray, here

http://goo.gl/maps/uuJPp

might be good for you?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Hi Mate

do it, do it, do it.

I have smashed my annual leave by taking 3 days off this week and I am up there at the moment and I can honestly say I can't remember it being this good this late in March in Glenshee.

I have stopped for a libation and I have not queued for one lift once in the 3 days, I am up first thing and the last to leave and it's amazing - there is even some fresh powder to be found along the fences and as for there being no one here, I MEAN almost no one, I think there are 6 lines of cars in the car park so that's what; 6 x 10 cars - with 3 people in each car (maybe, there are lots of singles in the cars I saw this morning) so 180 people in the main car park and maybe 100 in the one by the cafe........let me break that down for you:

20 lifts running with full cover and powder at the sides and there are roughly 280 skiers and boarders in Glenshee today........and the weather is looking good for the weekend, honestly mate, pack your stuff and come, you won't regret it and as for stopping your camper, if you want access to a supermarkets, take aways etc our out then it's got to be Blairgowrie try these guys:

http://www.holiday-parks.co.uk/index.php?page=blairgowrie

but if you are self sufficient then I think the Spittal of Glenshee will give you a hook up

http://smallmotorhome.co.uk/Campsite%20Reviews/Scotland/thespittalofglen.html

I hope you come, I am checking my emails from my laptop using my phone as a wireless network so it looks like I am working!! but that's me done now and I am going to go skiing so I hope you choose to come up, it will be well worth it!

WooooooHOOOOOO Laughing

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

andyrew, on our trip from Blairgowrie to Braemar, we saw *one* car, who came off the road over from Blair Atholl and passed us with no problems. Maybe you need a faster car to pass safely ? Wink

After all it is free

good amount of snow over the last few days

some hills expecting up to 20cm

then a clear bright day on saturday

shame i can only make it up on sunday

right, nearly packed.
Hope son1 isn't iller when I pick him up from school in a few minutes
Spittal of glenshee hotel looks the biz.

Hope they have 90cm skis to hire, please oh please..

aaah
stress

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

TheGeneralist, I'm in same boat but work has stopped me I hope you have a fantastic weekend always the best times flyers.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Scottish News at lunchtime had the weather for the Grampians and Cairngorms as persistent, sometimes heavy snow for Saturday:
MWIS has snow showers possibly merging into more prolonged snowfall. Very Happy

Hopefully get some decent visibility in the morning before the snow kicks in.

snow reports

TheGeneralist,

Let us know how your trip went mate, I hope you and the bairns are having a great time!

That was truly grim. Got back at about 7pm Saturday night.

Drove up and stayed at Spittal of Glenshee, good call by whoever suggested that. Very very cold starlit night but the kids were toasty in their 5 season down sleeping bags.
Then it all went downhill, queued for ages to get hire kit, weather closed in. Did one run on the car park side with bad visibility, then went up the Tiger side (not the actual Tiger). At the top of some drag we could barely move due to the wind. Blowing snow into the kids faces, very painful. Headed off down the nearest run (Slalom Course or something) Kids did very well to stay upright. Kids looked like snowmen. Visibility pants.
Went to the cafe. Grim place. Kid one was crying as his hands were hurting so much. Both kids bright red faces having been lashed by the snow.
Eat some horrible and overpriced food. Phoned home to get a forecast for the next day.

Coaxed the kids back to the other side as it should have been in the lee of the wind and went back up the button. Kid 2 made it up but kid 1 fell off the start just after he'd done the literally airborne part. Sorted kid 1 out and went up lift to find kid two somewhere in the cloud. Found him about 2/3 up. Told him to wait where he was and kept going up as kid 2 was on the next button. Got to the top with kid 2 and went half way done some run, told him to stop then went in search of kid 2. Found him and got to the bottom.

Tried the button again with the same outcome except kid 1 fell off and kid 2 got to the top. Both kids were being amazingly strong and trying hard but the wind was significant and visibility was really bad.

Skiid down again with them, back to the car. Neither kids wants to ski again that afternoon. Forecast for Sunday was worse, so wanting to make the whole painful episode as short as possible I set off home.

Drive home was hard work due to snow falling for much of the way. Snowploughs out in various parts and in others the motorway was single lane only.

Managed to get home very tired and with two kids who won't be keen to try skiing in Scotland again.

So near yet so far, typical Scotland. If the glorious starlit weather on Friday night had just come 8 hour later then it would have been amazing.

Not helped looking on Winterhighland to see that the mighty one and the gorm both had much better weather yesterday.

Ho hum, daren't look at the Glenshee cams today. When it brightens up it will be amazing.

Cost: 1/2 day leave; about £280; willingness of kids to go skiing for the weekend again; loads of other things I should have been doing at home instead.

You know it makes sense.

I am really sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it mate.

I went up yesterday and I skied from 8:30am till 4pm and I had a ball.........it was worth a try and I hope it doesn't put you off too much. I hate to say it but my 4 year old loved the whole day and skied with me the entire time and he loved it and we are going back up again Monday but he was made in Scotland and is used to it!!!!

Sorry you had a bad time but it wasn't all that bad mate, I have seen it WAY worse!!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Very sorry to hear your excellent commitment didn't pay off, TheGeneralist.

I took my two daughters (in their twenties) onto Cairngorm for the first time in April 2010 ... because they'd never seen the mountain I used to teach on in the 1970s ... and we enjoyed two days of blissful skiing. It all had to be arranged much further in advance than your own gamble.

Scotland is risky [Edit/correction: originally wrote "always very risky"] ... but real magic when it works ... as we know.

A snowHead

TheGeneralist, sorry it was such a pain. But on the plus side, the kids will remember it till they were old. wink

My kids have some memories like that, also involving Scotland.

Such as

"Do you remember the time we went sailing on Loch Ness in March and it was freezing and Alex got really seasick and Mum made her a plate of mince and tatties"

(Alex was 4, and she still remembers, with enormous gratitude oddly enough, the tinned mince and tatties which saw her all right again, once I'd rolled up the sails and decided to motor).

"Do you remember when we played cards all day long in a howling gale in Loch Lochy and then went to that big warm hotel for hot baths and fish and chips?"

My niece and nephew - now grown up (the former is a doctor) remember vividly a night when their dad and his friend took four of them camping on Bredon Hill. They put the tents up, then had some food and the dads drank an awful lot of red wine and were too drunk to organise the kids bedding or tell them to clean their teeth. They negotiated hard in the morning about how much it was worth to not tell the mummies.

A snowHead

Comedy Goldsmith,

It may not have guaranteed snow but to say Scotland is "very risky" is just not true, with improved weather forecasting, live (ish) webcams if you leave it till the last minute, it's fine. There is piles of snow up there and me and hundreds of others (including my 4 YEAR OLD boy) skied from early morning till last thing at 4:40pm.....Cut Scottish resorts some slack as in this case it seems to be a case of some folks just not fancying it and perhaps a little of the old: Tights......Ripped.....Jessie syndrome

Scotland is a sometimes a bit risky but not right now, in fact it's really good.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I was talking relative risk. In terms of conventionally booking a ski holiday (as distinct from a one/two day trip from an accessible location with the use of short-term weather forecasting), you can book the Alps with greater certainty of all-day sliding (in tolerable conditions). Relative to expenditure, for a southerner needing to plan forwards, Scottish skiing is very risky - so I stand by that phrase.

Yes, anyone who's not skied Scotland should seriously consider it this spring ... there will be many magic days. I always advise southern skiers to build contingencies into a forward plan, since there's so much to the Highlands anyway, so if the skiing's/weather's crap ...

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Fair do's, I'm just a wee bit defensive of Scottish skiing but I agree that if you are looking to book weeks/months in advance then your right but the O.P wasn't talking about that, he was looking for advice 24 hours before he left so this just proves that it isn't ALWAYS risky....In the nicest possible way of course.

Anyway, let's not argue and let's just agree that people from the South can't hack cold weather and people from the north all wear flat caps (with ginger hair sticking out the sides if your Scottish).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

So, anyone care to give me odds on Glenshee still being skiable at the end of the month? Sounds intriguing and I have work in Dundee then...

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davidhammy, you were actually quite right to question what I wrote. I've gone back to the earlier comment and taken edited the exaggeration. Thanks.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Wobbler, there will definitely be snow until well into April. Great cover this year.

On OP's trip, the forecast for this weekend was always snow, wind and poor viz. Not a day for beginners.
Look for a better day next time. I think you can also hook up campervans at Glenshee itself now.

In better viz and lighter winds it is a great place to ski. I take my kids (6 and 8, girls) there a lot and they love it.

After all it is free

Not sure where the W/H forecasts originate. MWIS is usually close.

I would encourage you to try again, but on a nice settled day..

I'm guessing part of the pain was ski hire. Always best to book in advance and get they early, otherwise it can take ages.

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TheGeneralist, You still the Father of the Weekend award from me.

It was an adventure, and there will be stories to tell later. I only did the drive once from Manc to Scotland, but it did seem like it took for forever and a day to get there...

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I guess I need to be clear about one thing here to stop all the locals from getting agitated. I'm quite aware that by far the worst thing about skiing in Scotland is....

...that I live in England.

I live far enough away that days trips are not possible and short notice trips are difficult to do, and very very expensive.

BUT

I live close enough to still dream about the possibility of catching it right. I can remember the many many amazing days I've had skiing in Scotland and hope that it'll be possible to get another one sneaked in. So every now and again I chance it and go for it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I'm in that difficult middle ground where it's very challenging to do, but still possible. If I was further south I'd forget about it; if I was further north then It'd be easy.

I'd be interested to hear if there are many others on the forum who live Manchester or further south, who have young kids, both parents work full time, only 25 or so days leave each year but manage to ski Scotland regularly. Go on inspire me.

snow reports

Not sure where the W/H forecasts originate. MWIS is usually close.

I would encourage you to try again, but on a nice settled day..

I'm guessing part of the pain was ski hire. Always best to book in advance and get they early, otherwise it can take ages.

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you but fair play for trying especially with two fairly young kids.

You know it makes sense.

I live in Manchester and have skied at least 2 days in Scotland for 7 years in a row (ok 1 year I was in Glasgow for most of the winter and for 2 in Lancaster which is a horrible hours drive each way closer). I did ski at the Lecht or Glenshee most weekends from about '85 to '90 so I thought I'd done enough Scottish skiing but I discovered I love the very steep lift accessible off piste at Nevis, Glencoe and Cairngorm. Hate the queues at Cairngorm though so I mostly do the others. Happy to trade slow surface uplift for the joy of empty slopes. The most days I managed was 13, from Lancaster, in 2008. Kids too small to ski yet (both <3) but soon, maybe next spring for the older one. Had a chat with a skiing dad and 3 year old at Cairngorm last April. Day 45 for them so she was getting pretty good (top to bottom of funicular). They lived pretty close and he had a job with days off in the week. She loved it. Drive up is harder since I had the kids and I spend a lot of time beforehand considering the weather(especially the wind). Not had a poor day since a slightly damp Nevis in feb 2007 and loads of amazing sunny days in April's past. Drive is easier with more daylight. Not taken any days off work for all that skiing and I work FT.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Thanks for the heads up Flicky. I will learn from the OP's misfortune and take my own gear up.

OP, I feel for you; never fun when the kids are having a hard time. But! An adventure, as everyone has pointed out. Better luck next time! Smile

A snowHead

A snowHead

TheGeneralist, good on you, it was definitely worth a try snowHead

We live just south of Manchester, with an 8 year old. Never skied Scotland. Yet we drive to France twice a season. Don't know why we haven't, I've fancied it just never really weighed it up properly/got round to it.

I think RobW drives to Scotland fairly regularly with his youngish kids.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Genuinely open question..... Living in the home counties is there any reason why one should consider skiing in Scotland? If you live within 5-6 hours and are desperate to ski I can see some advantages, but otherwise I'm struggling to think of any. Am I missing something?

This is honestly not an attempt to stir a row. I am just curious.

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foxtrotzulu, Because it is a different experience from France, which is different from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, USA.

Generally more friendly, and an experience much more intimate as the ski centres are much smaller... Like Glencoe, It feels very much like a club rather then a company, yet providing very interesting skiing indeed.

Problem is, Scotland is not as suitable for planning ahead as the above list, unless you accept there may be little snow and you go up for different activities in the highlands and of course a wee dram here and there. And even when making an attempt to cease the opportunity, you may not get it, as the TS experienced unfortunately!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

hmm,
dare I try again this coming week?
Might be worth a go, might not.

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TheGeneralist, your call. Cool

I have just emailed my brother who stays a few miles north of London ...

"Sunny long weekend, 100% snow cover in every ski area, deepest snow for about 20 years at Cairngorm, Glencoe and Glenshee. This has never happened before ... can you get up to Scotland with your skis tomorrow ?"

As Spurs are playing away, there's a good chance he'll be up. Laughing

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Seems to me, if there was a time to give it a go... long weekend, plenty of sun, plenty of snow...

Were you thinking you might wait for a better opportunity? hmmm.

Help!!

To ski or not to ski - Manc to Glenshee

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